


De Natura Irae

by Yulicia



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Huxloween, M/M, Werewolves in Space, supernatural themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 18:57:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12870939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yulicia/pseuds/Yulicia
Summary: Kylo brings back a little more than just an artifact from Uvena Prime.





	De Natura Irae

Hux rubbed at his temples, the beginnings of a headache starting to make itself known from behind his eyes. The bright blue light of the datapads lined up like little soldiers across his desk was beginning to grow painful. He’d been here for hours pouring over overdue finance reports and further instructions for the completion of Starkiller Base. Every report he finished just seemed to fade away for only moments before returning with vengeance multiplied.

He blinked and flicked his eyes away from the datapads, allowing his eyes a moments reprieve from the onslaught of light. As he looked back he saw a red light flickering on the datapad furthest from him. He leaned forward, grabbing blindly at the device. He squinted at the little red dot, studying it.

As it turned out it was the light that let him know Ren’s Upsilon-Class shuttle was safely residing within the Flight Deck of the Finalizer. Hux frowned. The knowledge that one of the First Order’s ships was in one piece and functional would have usually been a blessing but this… this just struck him as strange. Ren was supposed to be off ship on Uvena Prime, searching for some artifact or another Snoke had asked him to retrieve. Ren had requested the Finalizer set course for the planet himself. However, connecting the dots, Hux doubted Ren was off ship any longer considering the ship he was supposed to be away on was very much rather _on_ ship.   

Hux swallowed down a rise of disappointment swelling in his chest. Ren had returned without alerting him. Hux, though he could never tell Ren, somewhat looked forwards to the little moments he shared with Ren upon his return. It was a break in the monotony, a break in his absence, and the moment Hux could breathe once more knowing his co-commander was still alive.

 _Well,_ He reasoned, _If Ren didn’t wish to see him then he would have to respect his wishes._

Hux turned back to his reports, hoping to make some sort of dent in the pile. He didn’t last long, his eyes only skim reading the next report before he huffed a sigh and pushed the datapad away. Hux leaned back against his chair, running his hand along his face. His eyes were beginning to glaze over, words turning to mush before him. He couldn’t stop his eyes drifting back to the little red light.

He felt his fingernails begin to scrape against his palm. Feeling his horrible nervous habit beginning to flare up, he quickly squashed the action. He found himself huffing, tearing his eyes away from the taunting light.

Feeling a spark light within him he shoved his chair backwards and stood. He wasn’t going to respect Ren’s wishes. Ren was clearly aboard, wanting to go unnoticed for some reason and Hux wanted to know why. He was the General of this vessel and he had a right to know where each member of his crew was at a moment notice, Ren included even if he technically didn’t hold an official First Order rank.

He strode from his quarters, throwing his greatcoat over his shoulders. He walked throughout the hallways letting his feet take him towards Ren’s quarters as though he was simply a droid programmed to do so. He couldn’t be sure if that was where Ren would be, but he had no other ideas. He passed a pair of Stormtroopers on patrol. As they turned to salute him he stopped them with a quick motion of his arm.

“Has Commander Ren been through his hallway?”

Though Hux couldn’t see either of the Stormtroopers faces he could feel their hesitation. One of the Stormtroopers turned to their partner before speaking. “Yes, sir.”

So he _was_ aboard.

“Did you see where he was going?”  

“Deck PQ-17, sir,” The other Stormtrooper replied, the one who had not spoken before.

Ren’s quarters were on that deck. He was right to assume he’d be there. He distantly wondered if he had some sort of sixth-sense for knowing where Ren was at any given moment, as though they were connected by some force he couldn’t see. He held back a scoff, knowing the two Stormtroopers were both still in front of him awaiting his dismissal. Those sort of ideas were more suited to Ren and his strange powers. He had no place for such hidden forces.  

One of the Stormtroopers – the one who had spoken first – shifted, looking uncomfortable.

“Dismissed,” he said with a wave of his hand, already turning to continue towards Ren’s quarters. 

Both Stormtroopers saluted him in a quick and practiced motion before returning to their patrol. Hux barely paid them any notice.

Before he knew it he was standing before Ren’s quarters, the door closed and the pad by the door reading as locked. Hux paused. It was unusual for Ren’s quarters to read in such a manner. Hux had in the past, in fact, chided him for not locking the door when he visited Ren’s quarters in search of the more animalistic pleasures Ren’s company provided. It had been a clear point of contention and yet here the door was, for once, locked. 

Hux reached towards the pad by the door, his hand hovering over the fingerprint recognition panel. It would be so simple to just remove his glove and press his thumb down. He knew it’d open for him. Every door aboard this ship opened for him. So why was he hesitating?

His heart thundered in his chest. Was he afraid? Afraid of what, he wondered. Upsetting Ren? He’d done that before. He routinely upset Ren, as Ren routinely upset him. It’s how they were. Their relationship turning to something beyond their admittedly previously strained work relationship hadn’t changed that. So then why was his mouth so dry?

Hux heaved a sigh, pushing all of that aside. It didn’t do him any good to stand outside of Ren’s door like a lost little boy. It’d be even worse if any of his crew saw him have a crisis over a damn _door_ for stars sake and he knew a patrol was scheduled along this corridor shortly. He tore his glove from his hand and pressed down on the keypad, so quick he’d barely had time to regret his decision.

The keypad beeped positively at his request, the light at the top flicking from red to green. The door slid open with a thump, the metal creaking against itself. The room within was pitch black. Was Ren sitting in here in the dark? A little dramatic, even for him. Hux ran his hand along the wall, searching for the light switch. However, as his fingers connected with the wall he found it to be a little bit not there anymore.

Hux frowned, pressing his fingers further into the wall, fumbling in the dark. There was definitely a hole in the wall where the light switch used to be - a rather large one at that. Typical. Ren couldn’t be content with just destroying interrogation rooms and databanks, no, he had to slash at his own quarters too. Hux felt his headache begin to flare again at the thought of having to deal with the expensive needed to repair that and the subsequent paperwork of that later.

“First you forget to tell me of your return and now you’re destroying my ship,” Hux snapped, hoping Ren was out there somewhere in the darkness.

There was no response. Hux could only hear the sound of his own breathing.

“I know you’re in here somewhere, Ren. If you hadn’t destroyed your lighting I wouldn’t have to be guessing where you are.”  

The sound breathing joined Hux’s. It was heavy, strained and sounded as though Ren was in pain. Hux frowned at that. If Ren was injured he should be in medbay allowing the First Order’s physicians to patch him up as they always did, not wallowing in his quarters in darkness.

“Leave,” A voice – Ren’s he realised – called. He sounded strange. His voice was not the one he was used to hearing. There was some distortion in it. Hux knew this change didn’t come from his mask but his voice was still altered. It was gravely, deeper, and bordering on a growl. 

“What’s gotten into you? If you’re injured you should be in medbay—“

Ren whined, the sound pitiful. “Please leave,” he begged.

Hux felt a rush of fury run through him. “Not until you tell me why you decided to forgo alerting me of your return.”

Ren made a low keening noise, the sound pained and desperate. “ _Please,”_ He begged again.  

Hux huffed. “You’re being ridiculous. What’s gotten into you?”

There was the sound of shuffling from within the darkness of the room. Hux breathed in, smelling the strange stench of wet dog.  

“You will leave the room and forget why you came here,” Ren’s voice said. It sounded as though he was talking through clenched teeth.

Hux felt a strange jolt run through him. “I will not. What are you playing at?”

“You will leave the room,” Ren strained out once more, “And forget why you came here.”

A haze crossed over Hux’s mind. His mind wandered and he found himself repeating Ren’s words. “I will leave the room and forget why I came here,” he repeated, his voice mechanically level.  

He heard Ren breathe a heavy, relieved sigh as he turned to leave, his boots clicking along the floor. His body was not his own to control and his mind was beginning to fog. Why had he come to Ren’s quarters in the first place? There was a whisper of a reason – something to do with Ren’s arrival – but it didn’t make any sense to him. He could clearly remember meeting Ren as he always did. He felt the blood rise to his ears and before he knew it he blinked and found himself in front of the door to his own quarters with absolutely no memory of anything that had transpired.

* * *

 

Ren was not seen aboard the Finalizer for three days after his return. It wasn’t exactly strange for the mystical Force user to suddenly be missing in action for a while but this time it felt off, as though something was wrong. Hux had been informed by a trip down to the Finalizer’s security wing that Ren was still within his quarters, his heat signature still visible on the specialised map of the ship.

On the fourth day Ren remerged from his isolation and made himself apparent of the Finalizer’s bridge. 

“Where have you been?” Hux asked Ren as he approached. His voice was low; this conversation was one his officers didn’t need to be privy to.

Ren shrugged a shoulder, his expression hidden behind his mask. “Meditating.”

Hux cocked an eyebrow at that. “For three days?”

Ren was silent for a moment, still as he contemplated his answer. He shifted uncomfortably. “You know nothing of the Force, General.”

Hux felt a flash of irritation bubble in his chest but swiftly pushed it down. He wasn’t in the mood to bicker with Ren today. He had far too much to do. “Thank the stars for that,” he grumbled, already turning to resume his watch over the bridge.

“General,” Ren said as he turned. Hux stopped, turning back to face him. He looked at Ren expectantly, mentally berating Ren for wasting his rather limited time. “Will you be in your quarters at 22:00?”

Hux resisted the urge to squint at Ren. What was he playing at? “I always am.”

“Good,” Ren replied cryptically. He didn’t wait for further conversation and simple swept from the bridge in a flurry of black.

Hux halted for a moment, thrown somewhat off kilter by Ren’s strangeness. He quickly shook his head, clearing it. He suspected he knew why Ren had asked and he knew exactly what Ren wanted. He figured he should probably expect a visit from Ren at 22:00.

Ren arrived exactly one minute before the designated time. Hux had already prepared for his arrival, clearly expecting. He’d taken a long, soaking bath – something he did not often allow himself to indulge in – dressed in his most charming of silk robes and set out the Corelian brandy he knew Ren liked. He was inexplainably glad to see Ren; he would’ve hated to see all of his work go to waste.

Ren, however, seemed to notice very little of his efforts as within two steps into his quarters his lips were upon Hux’s, his helmet discarded at the door. Hux yelped, his body stiffening in surprise before he felt Ren’s warm hands against his jaw and his yelp dissolved into a pleased moan.

Ren’s hands pressed against his chest, pressing him backwards towards the couch he knew lay behind them. Hux let himself be guided, not breaking the kiss for a moment. Ren’s hands pushed forcefully backwards, shoving Hux down onto the couch with a practiced motion. Hux gasped as his arse connected with the soft cushioning, looking up at Ren through half-lidded eyes.

“What’s the occasion?” Hux asked somewhat breathlessly.

Ren said nothing for a moment and instead dropped heavily to his knees. His hands came to rest against Hux’s thighs, his thumb circling a pattern in the bare skin his robe had parted to reveal. “Missed you,” he mumbled.

“What was that?” Hux said, teasing. He’d actually heard Ren perfectly well but a little part of him wanted to hear it again.

“I missed you,” Ren repeated, not meeting Hux’s eyes, “Thought about you the whole time. There is a place on Uvena Prime with the most amazing flowers,” Ren’s eyes flicked up, “They were the colour of your hair. I’d have loved to have brought you one.”

Hux leaned forward, tangling his fingers into Ren’s hair, running circles against his scalp. Ren’s eyes fluttered at the sensation. Hux allowed himself a small smile; he adored doing this – Ren always seemed to putty beneath his fingers. “And why didn’t you?” Hux asked softly.

“No time,” Ren answered simply, “The Shistavanen are too aggressive, I couldn’t have taken one. Would’ve upset them. Would’ve upset you.”

Hux’s chest swelled with pride at that. Ren was right; the Shistavanen were isolationists first. It had taken significant effort for Ren to even be allowed to set on Uvena Prime and it would have meant absolute war to steal from them. War tended to mean a lot of work for the both of them and they already had their hands full with the growing conflict between the First Order and the Resistance. Ren was smart to have done what he did. Starting another conflict should only be done under the most dire of consequences.

“That was very thoughtful of you,” Hux muttered. He brought one of his hands forward to trace across Ren’s brow.

“See,” Ren said, his lips already upturned with mischief, “I do have the occasional good idea.”

Hux barked a laugh at that. “Don’t get a big head, Ren.”

“Never,” Ren joked, unable to restrain a quick laugh in return.

Ren’s hands on Hux thighs inched higher and Hux couldn’t resist a gasp. Ren smiled, his eyes gleaming. His hands travelled further, dipping beneath the robe to ghost over the soft skin of Hux’s inner thigh. Hux shifted, feeling himself growing harder beneath his robes. Ren licked at his lips and their eyes met.

“Why don’t I show you just how much I’ve missed you?”

When Hux awoke that night it was to a pleasant ache in his back and a cold bed. He flung his arm out, searching for Ren. He’d let Ren stay the night - an indulgence that was becoming worryingly frequent - and it was odd not to feel his overwhelming warmth beside him. Ren radiated heat like a furnace and Hux often awoke uncomfortably warm when he stayed. Now, there was just the chill of the night.

Hux pried his eyes open, squinting into the darkness at the clock on his nightstand. It read twenty past three. He leaned up on his elbows, peering out into the darkness. He then turned to look towards the refresher, checking to see if the light was on. He was met with darkness there too. Hux frowned. Ren didn’t seem to be in the room.

“Ren?” He called out into the darkness as his final effort.

A heavy huff was his only reply. Hux could hear breathing, heaving and strained, but he couldn’t quite put his finger as to where it was coming from.

“Ren, is that you?”

The breathing continued, a pain groan now joining the haunting noises.

“Are you alright?” Hux asked, throwing back the quilt.

Then, in the corner of the room Hux spotted a pair of yellow eyes bright in the darkness of the room. He felt his heart begin to race. Someone was in here and he was beginning to suspect it wasn’t Ren.

“Who are you?” He snapped, his hand already slipping below the mattress to grasp at the knife he knew was hidden there. He found the handle and gripped it tight, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

The owner of the eyes didn’t answer, only continued to huff. The thing didn’t seem to be looking at Hux and was instead staring off into nothingness. Hux shifted, bringing his feet closer below him, ready to run if he needed to. The creature’s eyes flicked to him, widening in surprise. The surprise, however, didn’t last long as they soon took on a predatory sheen.

Hux barely had time to react before the creature lunged towards him with a bone-chilling growl. Within moments the creature was upon him, looming dangerously and pinning him against his mattress. He was frozen in shock for a moment as he was able to look more fully upon the intruder.

They were hairy, covered from head to toe in fur not unlike a nerf’s. Hux couldn’t quite be sure but he thought that their coat might be a dark brown, though in the low light and in his panic he wasn’t counting on his deductive accuracy. Their snout like mouth was open and sharp, pointed teeth glittered within it. Drool was beginning to seep from between the gaps in their lower teeth, dripping onto Hux’s skin; warm and repulsive.

In that moment Hux didn’t think, his Academy training kicking in like muscle memory. His grip on the knife below his mattress hadn’t softened in the commotion and he tugged on it, freeing it. Quickly, and without much of a thought, Hux slashed the blade across what he thought was the shoulder of the vaguely humanoid creature.

The beast howled in pain, rearing back for a moment. Hux took advantage of the creature’s falter and flung himself off of the bed and onto the floor of his quarters. He thought quickly, tearing his comlink from his bedside table and turned to look for an exit.

He couldn’t right well leave his quarters; he was barely clothed - a fact he’d realised the moment he’d left the warm of his bed. His heart thundered in his ears as he wracked his brain for answers. The creature whimpered in pain again and Hux was struck with an idea. His refresher. It had a lock and all doors aboard the Finalizer were made of durasteel. He figured that no matter what this creature was it was unlike that they would be able to tear through thick metal.

He disappeared into his refresher, slamming the door closed and locking it behind him. He pressed his ear to the door, holding his gasping breath so that he could hear the sounds from outside.

The beast was still making pained moaning sounds, growling each and every so often when their wound must have become particularly painful. Hux stayed there for a few minutes, listening. He heard the sound of the creatures pained huffing and after some time, the sound of footsteps. It didn’t seem as though the creature was going to leave and seemed instead content to roam Hux’s quarters, probably getting blood all over his floor.

Hux sighed, leaning with his back against the door. He steadied his breathing, willing his heart to stop thundering in his chest. He swallowed thickly and picked up his comlink.

“This is General Hux,” He started. He was pleased that his voice was mostly level, only the very hind of a waver still evident in his clipped, authoritive tones. “Who am I speaking to?”

There was a light crackle from the other line as the recipient likely fumbled with the controls. “Lieutenant Chevra, sir, on the bridge.”     

“Quarantine PQ-20. No non-military personnel are permitted within this hallway until I personally give clearance.”

“Yes, sir,” Chevra replied. Hux quickly heard the tell-tale slamming of the lockdoor of quarter being activated. He flinched somewhat at the sudden sound. It had been a while since he’d had to use them. “Quarantine measures activated and order relayed, sir.”

Hux leaned back against the door heavily, letting his head fall back against it. He breathed a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and turned his attention back to the com. “Send a Stormtrooper squadron to my quarters. Armed.” 

There was a pause on the other side of the com as the Lieutenant carried out the order. “Yes, sir. Squadron inbound.”

“Thank you Lieutenant. That is all,” he said, clicking the button on the side to end the call. He let his hand fall, the comlink loosely held in his grasp.

Hux leaned his ear against the door of his refresher, listening once more for the sound of the creature. He could still hear very distant whimpering, animalistic and strange, but it was much further away than it had been before. Hux suspected it might have moved to another room and he was hearing the sound through several layers of wall.

Hux wasn’t counting but he knew it took only moments for the squadron to arrive. He let a smile tug at his lips at the loud clattering of the Stormtroopers forcing their way into his quarters. He knew his men would be efficient.

The room was filled with the heavy sounds of the Stormtroopers armour clanking together outside. There was a voice, hidden behind the tell-tale static fuzz of a Stormtrooper helmet, and then there was nothing. There was only a few seconds of blessed silence before there was a knock against the refresher door.

“Sir. General Hux?” The voice asked.

“I’m in here. What is your designation Stormtrooper?”

“HN-2341, sir.”

Hux nodded, despite knowing the Stormtrooper on the other side couldn’t see him. “HN-2341, is there anyone out there with you?”

There was a momentary pause and then the sound of armour moving. “No, sir. There’s only us.”

What? Had they not found the creature? Hux’s brows furrowed. The creature must still be out there with them then. That alone put his and their lives at risk. Either that or, stars forbid, Hux had imagined the whole thing. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d had a terrifying dream that seemed a little too real. He desperately hoped not.

“Are you sure?” Hux asked

“Positive, sir. Our personal search and a heat scan found nothing.”

Hux was filled with momentary dread. Maybe he really had imagined the whole thing.

“Very well, HN-2341. You and your squadron are dismissed.”

There was a pause and Hux could hear the whispers of the Stormtroopers outside. They sounded confused but he couldn’t quite make out the exact questions they were asking. No doubt they were murmuring about the oddity of the task they had been given, though they’d better hope Hux didn’t catch any of their words. If he smelt even a whiff of disobedience he had his solutions and he was more than inclined to use them.

The call button on his comlink blinked. Hux sneered at it, feeling more hatred for the little device demanding his attention than he’d possibly felt for anything in his thirty four years of life. He reached over with a groan and accepted the call.

It was Chevra. She waited, patiently expecting Hux to talk first.

“Yes Lieutenant?” He said, his voice as steady as he could have possibly made it. His teeth felt as though they were cracking under the force of his clenched jaw.

“Apologies, sir, but medbay has encountered an issue that requires your attention.”

Hux groaned quietly, likely not load enough for Chevra to hear. Of course they had.

“A number of the ‘Troopers that had been sent down to Uvena Prime with Commander Kylo Ren have now begun to show worrying symptoms. Head physician Doctor Vern requests you meet her at your earliest convenience.”

Hux’s brows furrowed at that. That didn’t sound good. There hadn’t been any complications with Ren mission that he had initially reported and it didn’t bode well to know that there was something he had missed. He wished he could speak with Ren about it but it appears as though during the commotion with that beast that the Knight had, very frustratingly, gone walkabouts. He felt a lurch to go looking for him but strictly reminded himself that his duty to the Order came first, not Ren. Ren was still a frivolity, and as much as he was one that Hux found himself enjoying more than he should, he would do well to remind himself of that.

Hux turned back to the comlink, clearing his throat. “Thank you, Lieutenant. Alert Doctor Vern that I will be there shortly.”

“Yes, sir,” Chevra replied, “Is that all, sir?”

Hux nodded, reaching towards the end call button on his comlink. “Dismissed,” came his only warning before the call ended. He sighed, pulling himself up off of the ground where he had sat.

He reached out to the door, unlocking it and then opening it painfully slowly. There were no unusual sounds he could hear in his quarters on the other side but his paranoia made him cautious.

His bed was a mess, the covers having been thrown back haphazardly in his scramble to get away from the beast and his datapad was lying on the floor beside it. He must have knocked it off in his haste to grab his comlink He prayed that it wasn’t broken. The First Order dealt with enough broken machinery on account of his missing bed mate and he didn’t want to add to that. He crept over and picked it up. He breathed a breath of relief that the screen was unmarred, the glass thankfully solid and devoid of any cracks. His finger ran over the power button and the screen flickered to life. No harm done there either.

He looked up, gazing around the rest of the room. Save for his mess that was his bed there wasn’t all that much different to his quarters to how he’d left it when he’d gone to sleep. Everything was still in its right place. His desk, his bookcases and even the slight smudge on the glass table was exactly where he had left it. He’d perhaps expected there to be scratches gouged into the walls but there was nothing to be found. It was is if he’d truly hallucinated the whole thing.

That thought unsettled him – that it could have all been something his mind had created. He, and subsequently the crew he commanded, relied on his mind being a reliable piece of machinery. The whisper that this incident projected that he might not be as sound of mind as he had originally thought unnerved him. His skin crawled at the thought that he may no longer be able to efficiently hold his position. That he was useless.

His pitched the bridge of his nose, feeling himself spiralling into what he knew was a redundant state of panic. He was fine, and so was his mind. He would get to the bottom of whatever that create he saw was and he would prove for himself that this was a true threat.

His datapad chirped at him, catching his attention. It was simply the reminder Lt. Chevra about Doctor Vern’s request. He held back the impulse to groan and instead dragged his tired body to his closet to get dressed before he made his way to the medbay.

By the time he had made it to the medbay Doctor Vern was already standing at attention, waiting for him. She was tall - though not as tall as him - and stared at him with a worrying intensity from behind large, black-framed spectacles.

“Sir, I gather you received my message.”

Hux nodded. “I did. It mentioned some complications on Uvena Prime. What’s the situation?”

Vern stepped backwards slightly, leaning to pick up her datapad. She flicked it on and looked down at it for a moment before turning back to Hux. “Less than ideal. Several ‘troopers have taken ill and we have very few leads on what is causing it.”

Hux hummed. “But you do have some?”

Vern huffed. “Barely. The only connection I can find is that every ‘trooper that accompanied Commander Ren to Uvena Prime has come down with an illness of some kind. The symptoms themselves are completely unrelated; some have reported increased nausea and fatigue, some have reported stomach cramping and excessive hunger, and one even reports an excess in hair growth.”

Vern paced, tapping her finger against her chin. It bothered Hux. He hated when people paced, it made him want to too.

Vern then stopped suddenly, turning to look at him. Her brows were furrowed in thought. “Commander Ren did not come here following his mission either. Do you know if he is of good health?”

Hux’s nostrils flared and he stared at Vern. She starred back, undeterred by his harsh gaze. He didn’t appreciate what she was insinuating. He’d been very careful to keep his relationship with Ren strictly personal. No one but Phasma knew and her finding out had been an accident; a rather embarrassing one he’d rather forget. Ren was his. No one else deserved to know what he did.

“As far as I’m aware, yes. I haven’t seen him in some time,” he replied, perhaps with more bite that he should have. He took solace in that he was only lying about half of that statement. Ren _had_ seemed in good health when he saw him. Impressively good health even. Wonderful stamina.

Vern cocked an eyebrow at his response. Her lips curled into a small smile, as if she was mocking him. “Of course, General. I was simply curious.”

Hux ignored her and pressed onwards. “What will you need to find a cure for this? I’d like my men well as soon as possible.”

Vern shrugged. “Time, I suppose. There’s not much I can do from here without knowing what they encountered on that planet,” Vern paused, “Though perhaps Commander Ren may have some insight? I hesitate to call upon him myself, what with him being outside of the First Order’s chain of command, but you certainly could.”  

Hux paused, eying Vern warily. “I’ll see to it that he admits himself for medical screening as soon as possible.”

Vern smiled, the corners of her mouth tilting upwards just slightly. “You have my appreciation, General.”

Vern saluted and turned back to her datapad. Hux gave a quick nod of acknowledgement before he swept from the medbay, rubbing at his stinging eyes. He made his way back to his quarters, hoping that when he returned Ren would be there too. However, as he opened the door to his quarters he had to fight desperately to ignore the ache in his chest that appeared in Ren’s absence. He convinced himself this wasn’t worry. Worry would get him no-where and Ren was more than capable of deciding things for himself.

Hux dragged himself to his bed, sitting heavily on the edge of it. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table and sighed at the numbers displayed there. 04:55. His shift officially started in five minutes. He’d been woken up earlier in the morning that he’d originally assumed. Either that or his visit to Doctor Vern had been a much longer process than it had seemed.

It was, however, not the first time that he would be starting his shift on a questionable amount of sleep. He’d done it an awful lot in the past. His sleeping habits had been terrible, functioning primarily on a solid three hours a night. _Had_ been terrible _,_ he reminded himself. He’d gotten better after Ren decided to start staying the night. He slept easier; falling asleep earlier and staying asleep longer. It had been strange that the chaotic force that was Kylo Ren was the one to improve on one of his worst habits. He tried not to linger on the thought too long, finding that it often took him down a rather dangerous path of thought.

Hux was already a third of the way through his cup of frankly disgusting caf by the time he made it to the bridge. It was, eerily, as it had left it the night before. The usual night shift into morning shift turn over proceeded as it always did and it was as if nothing had happened at all. Hux would’ve been pleased had he not felt so unsettled.

“Sir!” a voice called from behind him, making him flinch. The officer didn’t seem to notice or at least pretended not to. The Major held out a datapad, the screen glowing brightly. “Notes. From Doctor Vern. She said it was important.”

Hux’s brows furrowed but he accepted the datapad without question. “Thank you, Major.”

The Major saluted and left, gone as quickly as they had appeared. He looked down at the datapad, scanning the information there.  It was a large spreadsheet containing several names, serial numbers and an eclectic list of symptoms. At the top there was a message.

_This is all the information I have concerning our Uvena Prime outbreak. I felt it best you have a copy of the information._

 Hux typed a quick response to Vern on his personal datapad, praising her for her good work. As he pressed send he felt a presence loom behind him that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

“What are you looking at?” The familiar voice asked, grainy and distorted. Hux felt a jolt run through him and he had to fight not to outwardly show his reaction.

He spun on his heels quickly, faster than he probably should have. He found himself face to face with Ren’s mask, mere inches away. He wanted to chastise Ren for standing so close but he found his complaints slipping away, drying up on his tongue. He swallowed thickly, willing himself not to react.

“Ren,” Hux said simply, at loss of what else to say. He coughed, clearing his throat. “Where have you been this time?”

Ren paused for a moment, hesitating in his reply. “There were matters I needed to attend to.”

Hux cocked an eyebrow at that. “In the middle of the night?”

Ren’s mask bobbed in what Hux assumed was a nod.

“And you didn’t feel it necessary to tell me?” Hux asked, feeling his dormant frustrations bubbling to the service. He clenched his fists, the leather there creaking as he did so. He knew Ren would notice it. He was always good at picking up on Hux’s physical signs of frustration.

“You wouldn’t have understood,” Ren replied cryptically. Hux grit his teeth. Of course Ren would say that.

“You’re dodging my questions.”

Ren hummed, the noise filled with static from his mask. “I am.”

Hux wanted to scream.

“You didn’t report to medical on your return from Uvena Prime.”

“No, I didn’t. I never do.”

Hux huffed. “You know you’d be in better condition if you did.”

Ren shrugged. “Perhaps.”  

Hux’s shoulders were tense and he could feel himself getting flustered. He hated that Ren had so much power of him like this. He got under Hux’s skin like no one else in his life ever had. It was a special talent, one that hadn’t seemed to have dimmed with their changing relationship.

“There’s been an outbreak in the Stormtroopers who accompanied you. Doctor Vern thinks you might have some insight that could be helpful in their recovery,” Hux said, talking through gritted teeth.

Ren made an indistinguishable noise distorted by his mask. “I doubt it. But I will assist the good doctor.”

Hux wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. At least he didn’t have to fight Ren on that. He was ready to. “I appreciate your cooperation.”

Ren’s shoulders hitched slightly, shaking in what Hux realised was a short laugh. “Don’t get used to it, General.” And then with that Ren was gone, disappearing from the bridge as quickly as he had appeared.

It wasn’t until later that night that Hux discovered that Ren hadn’t made it to medbay. He wanted to be surprised but found himself simply thinking himself for foolish to have expected Ren to do something he clearly wasn’t thrilled to do.

It had been Vern who had commed to report on Ren’s absence. Hux found himself snapping at her more than once, something he knew she didn’t deserve but a response he couldn’t quite hold back. Ren was getting under his skin again. As per usual, he supposed.

On his way back to his quarters his personal datapad blinked at him once more. He was tempted to ignore it. It was probably going to be Vern or Ren and he wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of talking to either of them right now. He huffed, realising he was being ridiculous and reached into his coat to pull out the device.

He was immediately glad he did. The message wasn’t from Ren or Vern at all. It came from engineering.

_Report: Incident in Engine Room 4. Code 135._

Code 135, Hux knew, was the code for the destruction of equipment. Perhaps it did have something to do with Ren after all. He hoped it wasn’t. Ren had gotten so much better at controlling his temper that it would be quite the shame were he to return to his old ways.  

Hux changed his route, turning to head down to Engine Room 4. He zoned out, letting his feet take him where he needed to go. The hallways were quiet, the Stormtrooper patrols the only people he saw on his way there. It was in that perfect limbo between a shift change where all of his officers were still on the bridge finishing their days work and their night shift replacements had not yet emerged from their quarters.

As Hux approached the door to Engine Room 4 he was filled with an unexplainable anxiety, one that made his hands shake just slightly. He had a bad feeling about whatever was going on behind that door. His hands drifted to his belt, his fingers grasping the holster where his personalised blaster hung. He hadn’t used it in quite some time, but he knew that if he needed to he would remember how. He’d always been a good shot; a few months of dormancy were not going to harm his aim.

He approached the keypad lock and removed his right glove, pressing his thumb against the screen there. The screen blinked from red to green and opened on his command. The door swung open with a muted swoosh, revealing a grey dark Engine Room 4.

He stepped in, still cautious. There had been no culprit in the report, and perhaps he was foolish for attempting to resolve this issue on his own. He quickly pushed that thought aside. He’d handled worse before. His top marks in several categories at the Academy had to count for something.

“Show yourself,” Hux barked into the darkness. His voice echoed off of the walls but he received no response, only the humming of the engine.

His frowned, squinting into the darkness. He pressed onwards, travelling deeper into the expansive engine room. As he rounded the corner he saw the reason for the code 135.

The console, which he assumed had once been in perfect condition because he accepted nothing less, was in tatters. Huge gashes painted the front of the metal, the molten metal bleeding from the face of the machine. Angry red marks were slashed across the screens, the glass there shattered and coating the floor in a glittering pattern. Alongside the obvious lightsaber wounds the machine had there were also slashes he couldn’t recognise. There weren’t deep, having merely scratched the black paint away. They travelled downwards in a ragged pattern, continuing across the floor. They stopped suddenly before only appearing again on the wall sporadically further away from the console. They looked like claw marks, which only added to their mystery. There were no creatures he knew of aboard the Finalizer that could make such marks.

Hux starred at the damage. His lips curled angrily at the destruction that lay before him but the tug of curiosity in his chest distracted him from his true fury. Clearly the lightsaber marks came from Ren, that much he could say with absolute certainty. No one else aboard this ship had access to the weapon that left those marks on innocent machinery. The other gashes, though, were something of a mystery. They looked almost accidental. He looked at them warily before stepping closer.

He knelt and reached out his hand to press his fingers against the claw marks. As his fingers approached the console he could feel the remaining heat pouring from a lightsaber slash above it. He knew personally that lightsaber gashes didn’t remain hot for very long. These wounds were fresh.

A low growling came from the shadows behind him, making him jump. He leapt up from his spot on the floor, drawing his blaster in one swift motion. He flicked the safety off and held it ready at his side.

“Who’s there?” He asked, proud that his voice did not waver. His heart was beginning to pound in his ears. The darkness was engulfing.

The low growl started again, breaking off this time into a whimper. Hux’s stared out into the darkness, willing his eyes to adjust. Something was out there and the longer he didn’t know what it was the greater his panic grew. There was movement, a flash of the whites of eyes.

Hux drew his blaster higher, placing his finger close to the trigger. If the person in the shadows was not deterred by that then he would be forced to fire. The low growl started again, rough and deep. Hux took a breath.

There was movement from the shadows. Yellow eyes gleamed at the limited light of the room hit them, reflecting wonderfully. The pupils were slit and they held a predatory glare. This was the same creature he’d seen in his quarters before. He was sure of it. Those were the very same eyes. He shook his head, hoping he wasn’t hallucinating.

The creature stepped forward, revealing more of them in the light. They were hunched over, walking on all fours. Their shoulders were raised, the deep brown fur there thick and matted. On their hands were a set of impressive, grey claws. They scrapped against the floor as the creature moved. Hux didn’t break eye contact as they inched closer towards him. His finger twitched against his blaster, itching to fire. He stood his ground, waiting to strike.

In moments the creature was so close that Hux could smell their breath. It was rancid, smelling like rotting meat. Hux struggled not to gag. The creature sniffed at the air near him, making a low keening noise. It seemed as though the creature was in pain, though Hux could see no visible injuries on them. The beast’s eyes flicked between looking at Hux and looking at the floor in shame. They seemed almost… docile.

Hux lowered his blaster cautiously, letting the creature move closer. He moved slowly, fearing a sudden movement may trigger the beast into attacking. The creature moved forward once more, raising to their full height. They stood much taller than Hux, looming over him. They were mostly humanoid, though completely covered in fur from head to toe.

Hux held his breath as the creature moved closer. In a practiced movement the beast pressed their snout gently against Hux’s shoulder. Their touch was so careful that Hux wondered momentarily if this truly was the creature that had attacked him before. The creature huffed, pressing incessantly against him.

In was in that moment that Hux realised.

“Ren?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The creature whimpered, pressing closer. Their head bobbed as though they were nodding. Hux felt his eyes widen and he was suddenly glad that Ren’s face was pressed against his shoulder where he could not see him.

Hux drew his hand up, threading his fingers into the fur on Ren’s head. It was surprisingly soft and he found his hand moving back and forth along the supple fur. A low noise came from Ren, sounding as though it might have been a purr. Ren leaned into his hand, pressing desperately against the touch. His ears, larger now as they took a pointed and floppy shape, twitched as he did so.

Hux was stunned. At first the thought that the creature could be Ren was strange but the more he thought about it the more it made complete sense. He almost thought himself foolish for not noticing it before. wasn’t just a coincidence that Ren had disappeared the moment the creature had attacked him the night before and he hadn’t dreamed it up. He felt a wave of relief wash over him at that.

Ren whimpered again, keening as if he was in pain. His shoulders were tense, the muscles there twitching rapidly. Ren pressed closer, squeezing his eyes shut. Hux winced as Ren brought his hands up to brace against Hux’s chest, gripping tightly at the fabric there with sharp claws. The skin Hux could see beneath the fur was bone white with tension. Ren yelped, groaning and tightening his grip. Hux let his hands rest against Ren’s hulking shoulders.

Hux felt the fur beneath his fingers begin to melt away, the soft hair there returning to the warm skin that he was far more familiar with. Ren’s eyes were squeezed tightly shut and he was shaking but he had stopped making noise. Now he made no sound but for heavy, laboured breathing. Hux froze, unsure of what to do. He wanted to help, but knew that it was unlikely that he could. He sneered at that. He hated feeling so helpless.

With a violent shudder the last of the bestial hair withdrew from Ren’s form leaving behind the form of the man that Hux knew. Hux breathed a sigh of relief, letting go of a breath he’d barely been aware that he was holding in the first place.

“Ren?” He whispered. Ren didn’t raise his head to respond, only gripped tightly at Hux’s uniform jacket. It didn’t hurt now, at least not in the physical way it had before. The pang of pain had come from deeper with Hux and it frightened him. He hadn’t realised he’d been shaking too.

He ran a hand through Ren’s hair, attempting to calm both himself and soothe Ren. Ren’s shoulders were still shaking and he hadn’t lifted his head from Hux’s shoulder. Hux pretended he didn’t feel wetness soaking through his jacket there though whether that was for Ren’s sake or his own he couldn’t tell.

“What’s going on?” Hux asked, unsurprised but still annoyed that his voice wavered.

“The flower,” Ren croaked, his voice rough and thick with tears, “On Uvena. The one I said looked like your hair. I shouldn’t have touched it.”

Ren began to shudder again, this time more violently. Hux conceded, wrapping his arms tightly around Ren’s bare shoulders, mindful of the bandage that was looped around one shoulder. _Oh,_ Hux realised then, _He’s naked._ Hux barely bat an eyelash at Ren’s lack of dress having seen it previously on numerous occasions; although those occasions did tend to have a happy ending. He doubted any joy was going to be derived from this.

Ren mumbled something, snapping Hux out of his daze. He hadn’t been listening.

“What?”

“I’m sorry I scared you,” Ren mumbled. Hux’s heart clenched in his chest. Of course Ren was thinking about him first. Ren used to be so selfish. It made him feel sick that their… whatever this was had made Ren so vulnerable. He hesitated to call it love, but he found he had no other word for it.

“How long have you known?” Hux asked.

Ren paused, the wait for his answer stretching out longer than Hux was usually patient with. “Since our shuttle left Uvena Prime.”

Hux’s brows furrowed at that. “You should have told me.”

“I know,” Ren replied. His voice was clearer now but he sounded exhausted. “I know.”

Hux simply let Ren continue to lean against him. “Why didn’t you?” he asked.

Ren shifted, his shoulders moving in what Hux could only imagine was the start of a shrug. “I don’t know. Worried, I guess.”

“Worried?” Hux asked quickly. “Why? What do you have to be worried about?”

Ren’s pause now was worrying. It seemed like an eternity before he answered.

“Please don’t make me spell it out, Hux,” he said, his voice strangled in his throat.

“Ren, out of the two of us who’s the mind reader?”

Ren huffed, reaching hand up to rest against Hux’s cheek. Hux gasped at the sudden overwhelming despair he felt. It was disconnected from his own body but he still felt it as though the pain was his own. He saw flashes of someone leaving through a door. Someone, he realised, was him. Ren was worried he would leave if he told Hux the truth? Hux felt a stabbing sensation in his chest at the realisation.

“Why?”

Ren barked a laugh, but he didn’t seem to find anything particularly funny. “Admit it, Hux, we’re not exactly the healthiest relationship in the galaxy.” 

“No,” Hux conceded, “But I didn’t know you thought me that fickle.”

“Be honest with me. Had I told you, would you have stayed?” Ren asked, his voice bitter, as though he expected to the answer to be no.

Hux wasted no time in giving his answer. “I’m here now aren’t I?”

Ren drew back, finally turning his face away from Hux’s shoulder, leaning back so that he could look Hux in the eye. He seemed surprised, his tear reddened eyes wide. He wiped quickly at his nose, sniffing. Ren paused, staring at him with a look of disbelief. “Yes, I suppose you are.”

In moments Ren’s hands were on his face and Ren’s lips were on his. Ren kissed him like he had something to lose, clinging desperately to him. Hux rose to meet him, pressing back with as much passion and care as Ren was showing him. They’d kissed before but, Hux supposed, never like this. When they drew back he didn’t need to hear the words from Ren’s mouth, instead he could see the confession of love in Ren’s soft look. Ren’s mouth was dark pink and wet, and Hux wanted to kiss him again. Where he might have held back before, worrying himself too soft for indulging, now he surged forward again, claiming Ren as his own. Ren conceded, groaning appreciatively.

A thought struck Hux, interrupting his inter mantra of _Ren, Ren, Ren._ He pulled back, wincing at the hurt look Ren gave him.

“The flower,” Hux blurted out, feeling foolish the moment it left his mouth. He winced, continuing. “Will you turn again?”

Ren refused to meet his eyes. “Likely.”

“Do you know if there’s anything we can do to stop it?” Hux mind was already running at a hundred miles an hour, planning, planning, planning. Though he had absolutely nothing to go off of his mind sparked in a million different directions, many of them unhelpful but thought anyway. “The natives on Uvena Prime,” Hux said, “Would they know anything?”

Ren nodded. “They knew. They told me. I just didn’t know what they meant at the time.”

Hux’s head tilted in confusion. “What? What are you talking about?”

“In their minds, they warned me away. Warned me of a bright bulb that would bring about the wolf’s curse,” Ren replied, “They knew the only way to cure it is to consume it.”

Hux’s mind was made up on the spot. “I will contact Doctor Vern, notify her of the situation. I’ll send a squadron down to collect it at first notice.”

Ren’s brows furrowed. “That might give you a war with the Shistavanen.”

Hux stared at him. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Ren cocked an eyebrow at that, the corner of his lips upturning. “You’d really start a war for me?”

Hux nodded. “A thousand. I would wage war against systems for you. I would spill a river of blood to keep you safe.”

At that Ren began to laugh, deep and genuine. “Never thought you were one for dramatics.”

Hux shrugged. “You have that effect on me.”    

 Ren’s face then suddenly became serious. “What if I turn before the squadron returns?”

“You’ve turned back before,” Hux answered flippantly.

Ren opened his mouth and then closed it again, gaping with a fish. He looks ridiculous. He went to speak again, clearing his throat. “I-That was only. That was only because you were here to. To help. To guide me back. I can’t expect you to be with me around the clock.”

Hux found Ren’s hand, threading their fingers together. Ren looked down at it warily before his eyes flicked back to look at Hux. Hux smiled. “Yes, you can. You went down on the planet for me--”

“Technically for Snoke-“ Ren began to interrupt.

Hux carried on. “For _me,_ for the First Order, for our cause. Snoke is but a figure in the dark guiding us through the smoke. I will take full responsibility for your injuries as I am the one who gave the order. I’m not one to back away from responsibility, Ren, you know this.”

Ren opened his mouth again, clearly ready to protest. Hux cut him off. “Will you just shut up and say ‘thank you’?” He huffed.

Ren’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he beamed, grinning from ear to ear. “Of course, thank you, Hux. Your sacrifice is _very_ noble.”

“You and your smart mouth,” Hux grumbled, “Why do I put up with you?”

Ren tightened his grip on Hux’s hand, squeezing there lightly to catch Hux’s attention.

“I think you know why.”

“Yes,” Hux mused, “I think I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’m on tumblr as stardestroyervigilance!


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